This plane and pilot appear to be struggling in every phase shown in the video.



Terrible.

100 percent pilot induced. Where do they find such pilots?

Kurt

G44 wrote:100 percent pilot induced. Where do they find such factory pilots?

Kurt

Agreed. I updated my initial comment.

That was painful to watch.

Trying to force the aircraft against the prevailing weather. Always a losing battle.

The whole take-off run looked like a struggle to keep the plane under control.

G44 wrote:100 percent pilot induced. Where do they find such factory pilots?

Kurt

I read elsewhere that it wasn't a factory pilot. Said it was current owner selling it.

Looked to me like he (barely) had it made before he turned to stay over the lake

aftCG wrote:

G44 wrote:100 percent pilot induced. Where do they find such factory pilots?

Kurt

I read elsewhere that it wasn't a factory pilot. Said it was current owner selling it.

Looked to me like he (barely) had it made before he turned to stay over the lake

Thank you for the correction.

Kurt

Aryana wrote:That was painful to watch.

Copy that. I cringed.

Plane appeared grossly underpowered or grossly over gross.

So many chances to abort were missed.

I hope the occupants were OK.

This happened about 50 miles from where I live so it has been on the local new. I only know what I have seen on the news and so I am reporting what they reported, but they are doing a good job of not speculating about what happened. The pilot was treated for minor injuries by EMS, his passenger was transported by helicopter to Grand Rapids, MI where he remains in serious condition as of this morning. On the morning news they had a witness who was a member of a group watching from the deck of their cottage and reported that this was the third attempt to take off and that they were all cheering when he final got airborne, which quickly changed to horror and calling 911. The local sheriff marine patrol was already patrolling the lake and by the time they arrived on scene boaters had removed the pilot and passenger and had them on their pontoon boat. It was hot with near 100 percent humidity on Saturday with gusty winds.

Tim

Tim,

What lake was it?

Kurt

Littlefield Lake, Isabella County, looking at a map it is in the northwest corner of the county, about 10 or 12 miles northwest of Mt Pleasant. I have never been to this lake but doesn't look very large on the map.

Tim

Pilot totaled his plane. His passenger is really hurt. And while he is on the ground we are gleefully kicking the crap out of him. It was several years ago that one of our own (a frequent poster) wrecked a plane and nobody could discuss or speculate about it. Maybe everybody should get that same respect.

Just a casual observation

agreed

qmdv wrote:Pilot totaled his plane. His passenger is really hurt. And while he is on the ground we are gleefully kicking the crap out of him. It was several years ago that one of our own (a frequent poster) wrecked a plane and nobody could discuss or speculate about it. Maybe everybody should get that same respect.

Just a casual observation

I don't really think it's the same. You were digging for info back then for something that was never public or reported by the news, which is why I was heavy handed. I've tried to be more specific about what is allowed in the site guidelines.

In this case, it's spread across flying social media, like many accidents that are recorded do.

I do agree though that we should lend the pilot the same respect and discretion with our speculation that we would hope for if we were so unfortunate.

As a newbie float pilot, I would hope to learn why it happened, so maybe, respectfully, it can be a conversation starter. Was he performing a turning takeoff because the lake is a weird shape with no clear straightaways? Who knows.

Zzz wrote:

qmdv wrote:Pilot totaled his plane. His passenger is really hurt. And while he is on the ground we are gleefully kicking the crap out of him. It was several years ago that one of our own (a frequent poster) wrecked a plane and nobody could discuss or speculate about it. Maybe everybody should get that same respect.

Just a casual observation

I don't really think it's the same. You were digging for info back then for something that was never public or reported by the news, which is why I was heavy handed. I've tried to be more specific about what is allowed in the site guidelines.

In this case, it's spread across flying social media, like many accidents that are recorded do.

I do agree though that we should lend the pilot the same respect and discretion with our speculation that we would hope for if we were so unfortunate.

As a newbie float pilot, I would hope to learn why it happened, so maybe, respectfully, it can be a conversation starter. Was he performing a turning takeoff because the lake is a weird shape with no clear straightaways? Who knows.

Maybe I was reading between the lines on the comments. I ran out of gas about 5 years ago and put it down on I-80. The cause was that the mechanic that had recently installed the right wing fuel bladder left out the outboard rear snap. I was about 10 gallons of gas shy. Had I run out over unforgiving terrain with me and my wife dying it would have been in the news and very public. The NTSB would have determined that it was fuel exhaustion and pilot error and they would have made that public. They would not bother counting all the fuel bladder snaps to determine what really happened. Then some would be able to say what they wanted about me without ever knowing the facts.

When this happened to me I gave a pretty good report. When this sort of thing happens I think it useful not to hide it but to share it so all can learn. (maybe it wise not to share everything with the insurance company) I advise that if you ever buy a new to you plane that you drain all the fuel and refill just so you know how much you really have. Done ranting

It looks like the icon has a lot of flap extended. Anyone know if this is typical for these planes?

Videos of accidents, quite common now, can be as useful as the NTSB in evaluating our own procedures and techniques. The picture, while not as official as the NTSB report, can be worth a lot of words.

Personally, I have my own data base of my screw ups. I don't have video, however. Witness reports vary. My war stories get better with age. Video doesn't lie, except those that are altered.

This video has absolutely nothing to teach anyone who has achieved the knowledge level of Student Pilot. It's just entertainment at the expense of the pilot and passenger and their families and friends.

Not that it matters, but I am super-unhappy with the proliferation of video recording devices and the ease in which said videos can be shared with the world. I know a lot of people (most people, apparently) see this as a positive thing, but I don't. Not one little bit. I honestly don't see a single upside...it's just mental masturbation by the masses who watch other peoples' life altering events on utube for their shits and giggles.

What the viewer gets in the way of entertainment is so fantastically trivial compared to the suffering of the people being videoed and the indignity of their travails being broadcast to the entire world that no just society would allow it.

I'd say "rant-off", but that's such a watered-down account of how I really feel that I don't even consider it a rant. Maybe one day our right to general privacy will catch up with our right to medical privacy and all this garbage will go away. I sure hope so.

This particular video actually means nothing to me...it's the principle of the thing. One day it's him, next day it's me, and the day after it's you. Anyone with a phone can put the worst moment of your life on the web for the world to giggle and gawk over, and there's just no upside to it at all.

Your concern is honorable, Hammer. We old guys will be gone before video invasion, however.

They took a picture, MRI, of my prostrate rather than cut into it. I appreciate that. And I appreciate that students of aviation procedures and techniques can see what works well or poorly in video. I am surprised the required black boxes on commercial aircraft do not have video.

Scolopax wrote:It looks like the icon has a lot of flap extended. Anyone know if this is typical for these planes?

The Icon POH recommends 30 degrees flap for takeoff. Many seaplanes simply won’t fly off the water without flaps.

Frankly, I think the video speaks for itself. Unlike Hammer, I believe these kinds of videos offer us all an opportunity to learn without having to break an airplane ourselves.

Fortunately, nobody was killed in this.

Unfortunately, some will use this accident to criticize the airplane.

MTV